does anyone use that? can i ask anyone for help? ever since the 1st public version of vmware i have never got it to work...do i have to reinstall linux under a linux guest system in vmware?everytime i tried to run linux under windows2000/xp and boot it up it can't seem to read my lilo under mbr....it always say unable to find system file or something...

does anyone use that? can i ask anyone for help? ever since the 1st public version of vmware i have never got it to work...do i have to reinstall linux under a linux guest system in vmware?everytime i tried to run linux under windows2000/xp and boot it up it can't seem to read my lilo under mbr....it always say unable to find system file or something...

I believe the best way is to install the guest OS from scratch inside a virtual disk. Running a OS allready installed by using "real" disks has never worked for me.

I'd have to agree. Installing the OS from scratch on the VM is the only way I have ever got VMWare to work. Very impressive when it does though. Shame about the price, anyone know of any similar open source offerings?

The only problem with using "real disks" is that VMware acts like a standard (hacked) BIOS, simulating a virutal chipset and other different peripherals (sound and network come to mind) that are most likely not compatible with what your operating system was expecting. Linux tends to fare pretty well (depending on your setup), but Win95 and NT4 are pretty much hopeless. Win98 and Win2k seem to be more robust, but still, it's basically the same thing as removing your hard drive, picking some random person's PC, swapping out disks, and hoping for everything to work right -- it won't.

That aside, people are complaining about the price. My advice: get over it. It is rather expensive, but if you don't like it, don't use it. If you need it to do business, great, go buy it. Also, if you're in any way affiliated with an educational institution (both students and employees), you're eligible for educational pricing, which cuts off a couple hundred bucks.